diff --git a/dotbot/cli.py b/dotbot/cli.py
index 3a14d2d..84a1377 100644
--- a/dotbot/cli.py
+++ b/dotbot/cli.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ from argparse import ArgumentParser, RawTextHelpFormatter
 import dotbot
 
 from .config import ConfigReader, ReadingError
-from .dispatcher import Dispatcher, DispatchError
+from .dispatcher import Dispatcher, DispatchError, _all_plugins
 from .messenger import Level, Messenger
 from .plugins import Clean, Create, Link, Shell
 from .util import module
@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ def main():
             # default to directory of config file
             base_directory = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(options.config_file))
         os.chdir(base_directory)
+        _all_plugins[:] = plugins  # for backwards compatibility, see dispatcher.py
         dispatcher = Dispatcher(
             base_directory,
             only=options.only,
diff --git a/dotbot/dispatcher.py b/dotbot/dispatcher.py
index 6660d88..5ed7ad5 100644
--- a/dotbot/dispatcher.py
+++ b/dotbot/dispatcher.py
@@ -5,6 +5,14 @@ from .context import Context
 from .messenger import Messenger
 from .plugin import Plugin
 
+# Before b5499c7dc5b300462f3ce1c2a3d9b7a76233b39b, Dispatcher auto-loaded all
+# plugins, but after that change, plugins are passed in explicitly (and loaded
+# in cli.py). There are some plugins that rely on the old Dispatcher behavior,
+# so this is a workaround for implementing similar functionality: when
+# Dispatcher is constructed without an explicit list of plugins, _all_plugins is
+# used instead.
+_all_plugins = []  # filled in by cli.py
+
 
 class Dispatcher:
     def __init__(
@@ -16,9 +24,12 @@ class Dispatcher:
         options=Namespace(),
         plugins=None,
     ):
+        # if the caller wants no plugins, the caller needs to explicitly pass in
+        # plugins=[]
         self._log = Messenger()
         self._setup_context(base_directory, options, plugins)
-        plugins = plugins or []
+        if plugins is None:
+            plugins = _all_plugins
         self._plugins = [plugin(self._context) for plugin in plugins]
         self._only = only
         self._skip = skip
diff --git a/tests/dotbot_plugin_dispatcher_no_plugins.py b/tests/dotbot_plugin_dispatcher_no_plugins.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..734169a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/dotbot_plugin_dispatcher_no_plugins.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# https://github.com/anishathalye/dotbot/issues/339, https://github.com/anishathalye/dotbot/pull/332
+# if plugins instantiate a Dispatcher without explicitly passing in plugins,
+# the Dispatcher should have access to all plugins (matching context.plugins())
+
+import dotbot
+from dotbot.dispatcher import Dispatcher
+
+
+class Dispatch(dotbot.Plugin):
+    def can_handle(self, directive):
+        return directive == "dispatch"
+
+    def handle(self, directive, data):
+        dispatcher = Dispatcher(
+            base_directory=self._context.base_directory(),
+            options=self._context.options(),
+        )
+        return dispatcher.dispatch(data)
diff --git a/tests/test_cli.py b/tests/test_cli.py
index a9fc7ae..136533b 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -199,3 +199,17 @@ def test_plugin_context_plugin(capfd, home, dotfiles, run_dotbot):
 
     stdout = capfd.readouterr().out.splitlines()
     assert any(line.startswith("apple") for line in stdout)
+
+
+def test_plugin_dispatcher_no_plugins(capfd, home, dotfiles, run_dotbot):
+    """Verify that plugins instantiating Dispatcher without plugins work."""
+
+    plugin_file = os.path.join(
+        os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)), "dotbot_plugin_dispatcher_no_plugins.py"
+    )
+    shutil.copy(plugin_file, os.path.join(dotfiles.directory, "plugin.py"))
+    dotfiles.write_config([{"dispatch": [{"shell": [{"command": "echo apple", "stdout": True}]}]}])
+    run_dotbot("--plugin", os.path.join(dotfiles.directory, "plugin.py"))
+
+    stdout = capfd.readouterr().out.splitlines()
+    assert any(line.startswith("apple") for line in stdout)